Unforgettable holiday experiences and acting sustainably are inseparably linked. We therefore continuously develop our cruise packages with a view to even better environmental sustainability. We inform our travel agency partners about these developments openly and transparently.
In compiling our cruise packages, we pay particular attention to animal and species conservation, as well as to protecting our oceans. Sustainable land excursions not only offer our guests unforgettable experiences, but also contribute to regional economic development, to protecting and promoting the environment, to maintaining cultural heritage and also to improving the livelihoods of local populations.
47 percent of guests on cruise ships want to have green destinations with beautiful landscapes and unspoiled natural surroundings. This is one of the results of the 35th German Tourism Analysis 2019 which examined holiday requirements. In 1998 this figure was 40 percent. In light of this, we are continuously expanding our range of sustainable shore excursions at our destinations around the world. At present, more than 1,100 excursion packages offered by AIDA Cruises (including bicycle, pedelec and Scuddy tours) bear the Tree symbol, which we have used to denote our sustainable excursions for a number of years now. Back in 2012 we launched a joint project with the sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. and the state chancellery of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that sought to develop standardized criteria for sustainable shore excursions. The aim was to create a transparent comparative basis for the sustainability of excursion packages with the assessment of measurable and scientific criteria at its heart. The criteria were developed in collaboration with academics at the University of Lüneburg and were oriented toward ISO 26000 (guidance on the social responsibility of companies). All AIDA excursions that meet our social, ecological and cultural criteria are specially marked with this Tree symbol and can be booked before the start of the cruise on MyAIDA or directly on board.
Transport services, the content or focus of the excursion (e.g. culture, nature, and social engagement), local eating opportunities and the commitment to sustainability of the local partner agency are the four main criteria against which the individual excursion packages are assessed. There are additionally numerous subsidiary items that also influence the assessment. The avoidance of CO2 emissions has priority where transportation is concerned.
During shore excursions we ensure that any waste produced by our excursion groups is disposed of appropriately or taken back on board. On our dives, we make a point of ensuring our guests can marvel at the wonders of the underwater world but not touch it, since underwater ecosystems are incredibly sensitive.
All AIDA bicycle, Scuddy and pedelec excursions, whether they are a relaxed discovery tour or an active sports tour, are accompanied by professional AIDA Biking Guides. Each AIDA ship is equipped with up to 130 bicycles, including e-bikes or Scuddies. Since October 2018, guests on AIDA ships have also had the opportunity to hire an E-scooter and to use it to discover the destinations in a very personal and eco-friendly way. An alternative and trendy means of getting around with minimal environmental impact are our Scuddy tours, which are three-wheeled electric power scooters.
In order to expand this offering from AIDA further, we inform our excursion agencies around the world about our commitment to sustainability and invite them to actively develop further sustainable packages with us.
We are committed to animal and species conservation. AIDA Cruises therefore only offers tours that involve observing whales, dolphins and other species in their natural habitats to its guests. In offering these trips, we work together with selected providers who ensure that the animals are not disturbed by the tourists.
Our desire is that our guests are conscious of experiencing the many facets of sustainability - during a normal day on board as well as excursions ashore or during informative events on cultural and environmental topics. We want to use this offering to motivate our guests to travel more conscientiously, and to open their eyes both to the beauty of the natural world and to the dangers that threaten it
We moreover support the ban on trading illegal wildlife products, including those derived from endangered animal and plant species. There is consequently no place for threatened species (Red List), such as sharks, whales or songbirds, in our culinary offerings. We also inform our guests that it is not permitted to bring products bought during shore excursions on board that were made using threatened animal or plant species.
AIDA has been a member of a working group run by the Futouris e.V. initiative for a number of years, which, working together with environmental organizations and researchers, aims to check and further develop the regulation of and compliance with animal welfare standards. More information about the work of Futouris e.V., www.futouris.org.
An unspoiled environment and clean oceans are crucial in our view because they are also part of an unforgettable holiday experience for our guests. AIDA Cruises aims to enthuse as many people as possible about the fascinating world within our oceans in the hope that they will support us in our efforts to protect the oceans and coastal landscapes. We do this through educational and public relations work as well as through practical nature conservation projects.
AIDA Cruises has been committed to eliminating the use of microplastics for many years, since these tiny particles are not biodegradable. Microplastics endanger not only the environment but also bird and fish life, which can accidentally eat these tiny particles. Eating fish can also introduce microplastics into the human food chain. Therefore, all of the spa products used on board AIDA ships are free of microplastics. We also make sure that any cleaning agents used on board are free of microplastics wherever the strict hygiene regulations allow.
Operation Oceans Alive
Together with all of the cruise lines of the Carnival Corporation, on June 8, 2018 – the United Nations’ World Oceans Day – AIDA Cruises launched the “Operation Oceans Alive – Our Home – Our Future” initiative. The global campaign aims to educate our guests and employees continuously about issues relating to environmental protection. We want to inform them and actively involve them in order to support the UN’s sustainability objectives. We do this, for example, through regular employee training sessions on avoiding the use of plastics and disposable tableware or by explaining to them how simple methods can conserve resources effectively in our daily lives and avoid generating waste.
The AIDAvita crew demonstrated a very special commitment to clean the oceans on March 7, 2019 with a beach clean up campaign in Nha Trang, Vietnam. This outstanding environmental campaign was recorded in a crew video.
Environmental Excellence Award 2019
The AIDAvita crew received the Environmental Excellence Award 2019 for the second time for their special environmental awareness and commitment. The award was presented to the captain on May 24, 2019 by Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises, aboard AIDAvita.
AIDA subscribed to the UNWTO’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism seven years ago. By signing up to this code, we are making a commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism. As a signatory of this code, AIDA Cruises gives regular accounts to the UNWTO regarding the adherence to and development of its measures aiming to promote sustainable tourism.
We inform our guests on board about our ecological and social engagement at any time through various channels, for example in the onboard magazine AIDA Heute or via our digital information systems.
Our officers and captains can answer questions posed by interested guests during the ‘Nautical hour’ question and answer session.
Our environment officers moreover ensure compliance with all national and international requirements as well as the company’s own standards that go even further with regard to environmental protection on board. They are responsible for, for example, supervising waste management and training employees in environmental issues.
An overview of our most important standards is available in the ‘International Conventions and Standards’ chapter, and more detailed descriptions are located in the sustainability report released by the Carnival Corporation & plc. A decisive factor in the success of our sustainability strategy is the active involvement of all of our employees.
More information: Carnival Corporation & plc
Ensuring the satisfaction of our guests is one of our most important goals. Here at AIDA, every effort is made each day to ensure our guests always feel at ease and competently cared for both on board and ashore.
Realizing the desires of our guests in the best way possible is a task that we tackle with passion and dedication. In order to make the dialog with our guests as comprehensive and detailed as possible, we make use of, for example, cruise information, newsletters, guest questionnaires and our AIDA Club loyalty program. AIDA Cruises’ Customer Management Department represents the interests of our guests in the company and actively incorporates their proposals and requests in the development of existing packages and the creation of new products. In 2018 AIDA again received numerous distinctions for exceptional service (find out more in the “Awards” chapter), which motivate us continuously to improve our service even further.
One way in which we record the satisfaction of our guests is with our detailed guest questionnaires, which can be filled out after the cruise. We receive a wide range of suggestions and requests at the same time, which we are happy to adopt. We also value constructive criticism.
In order to make our products and processes even more customer-oriented each year, we have developed our own assessment technique for guest satisfaction. In 2018, we managed to increase satisfaction levels by a further two percent on the previous year.
We can record guest satisfaction on board almost in real time by means of an “iFeedback” system. This allows our guests to rate individual elements of our holiday packages directly and at any time. Our employees on board then have the opportunity to act immediately on suggestions and instructions. Direct points of contact are also available on land. The “iFeedback” system additionally helps us to develop our entire product portfolio further.
Experts from the hotel and catering industries regularly travel incognito as part of the so-called mystery shopping on board our ships. The testers assess every element of the holiday experience during their cruise using clearly defined quality and service standards. In this way we receive valuable feedback that helps us to increase the satisfaction of our guests even further or to develop new, tailor-made packages.
The AIDA Customer Center is the primary point of contact both for our guests and our sales partners when it comes to giving expert advice and booking our holiday packages. Our employees can be reached around the clock by telephone, email or interactive chat.
The AIDA Club gives our guests some special benefits: depending on their club level, AIDA Club members can enjoy a welcoming present when they step on board, club meetings, separate check-in procedures or credit to be spent on board. The five club classes of blue, red, yellow, green and gold show our most loyal guests aged 16 and over our special appreciation. Our regular onboard club meetings provide an opportunity to converse with the crew outside the normal daily business. We offer our most loyal guests a special experience on their cruise in the form of a privileged hour with the General Manager. Signing up to the AIDA Club is free and can be completed online at www.aida.de/club.
We are passionate in our hospitality. That is why we ensure that guests with allergies or other impairments are also able to enjoy their holiday with AIDA to the full both on land and at sea as independently and with as much accessibility as possible. Our guiding principle is that every guest should be able to enjoy an AIDA cruise without difficulty. This is why we assume, for example, any additional costs incurred for special transfer arrangements when booking AIDA inbound and outbound packages.
We indicate the tours that are best suited for individuals with impairments in our excursion brochures. We work closely with our partners at our destinations to create suitable accessible conditions on land as well in order to allow every AIDA guest, wherever possible, to discover the most beautiful destinations around the world.
We of course also support our guests with their food allergies or intolerances. In our restaurants, for example, we always also offer gluten and lactose free dishes. We recommend that any guests who suffer from specific food intolerances inform the AIDA Customer Center accordingly before the start of their cruise. This gives us the opportunity in special cases to obtain food that is not part of our regular offering on board for guests with food intolerances. Our AIDA ships also feature a “Schonkostbar” (‘light diet bar’). Should our guests have any queries, our trained staff are happy to assist. Our onboard chefs receive regular training on land in how to prepare healthy and palatable food.
Our specially trained members of staff are also happy to assist with:
On our AIDA website there is extensive information about what is available for allergy sufferers, accessibility on board and during excursions with AIDA as well as advice for guests with limited sight, hearing or mobility.
One enthusiastic cruise holidaymaker, who has travelled with AIDA many times, suffers from a rare metabolic disorder that meant she could never travel alone in the past. She was dependent on the professional assistance of a carer, which is of course expensive. On a short cruise in 2018, together with the team on AIDAluna she tested out whether in the future should would be able to embark on longer sea cruises aided only by her assistance dog, Tamu. The trip was a success! There is now nothing stopping her from enjoying a longer cruise with AIDA and Tamu, for whom there is of course a life jacket on board.
More information:
email: barrierefreiheit@aida.de
Individual nutrition
Barrier-free traveling
Our onboard hospitals are equipped with the latest medical technology and are able to deal with more than just outpatient care. They are also fitted with beds for in-patients and for intensive initial care in the event of an emergency. Modern roentgen and ultrasound equipment, laboratory tests, ECGs and ventilators support our ships’ doctors and qualified nurses in performing diagnostics and providing therapy. Thanks to telemedicine, our onboard doctors can contact land-based specialists around the clock. Defibrillators can also be found in various areas on board. Furthermore, every crew member receives regular training in first-aid.
Should it not be possible to treat an illness adequately on board, further medical care is then provided in a medical practice or hospital ashore. If necessary, we are able to arrange a local interpreter and carer. We also provide detailed information, in our entry and health regulations for example, about vaccinations and health care measures for the relevant destination and can advise about the extent to which it will be possible to provide the requisite individual medical care. We recommend guests undergoing medical treatment or who have particular requests address important points such as obtaining medication or the possibility of needing medical treatment on board in advance of the trip or when making the booking by referring to barrierefreiheit@aida.de.
Additional services are offered on many of our ships, sometimes in collaboration with other departments, including physiotherapy, Kinesio taping and much more.
